Build it and they will come: The Province newspaper (article)

One of our members was interviewed on behalf of the Vancouver Lego Club to talk about us and the upcoming Grand Opening of the Lego Store at the Oakridge Mall. The interview was at 3:30pm and by midnight last night it was already on The Province online.

Okay, so technically this is copyrighted material, but if you follow the link you’ll find the article at The Province newspaper websiteCLICK HERE

Build it and they will come: LEGO store opens at Vancouver mall

By Ian Austin, The Province May 1, 2012

A customer checks out bulk lego pieces for sale at the new Lego store at Oakridge Centre in Vancouver on May 1, 2012.

Photograph by: Gerry Kahrmann , The Province

Of all the kids celebrating the grand opening of the LEGO store at Oakridge Centre this weekend, none will be happier than 41-year-old Pierre Chum.

Chum lives a double life of sorts – by day he’s a mild-mannered life insurance agent, by night he’s a mild-mannered LEGO builder.

Chum is what those in the biz call an AFOL – an ‘adult fan of LEGO,’ the little blocks that have captivated generations.

Now Chum, his fellow AFOLs, and younger fans can pick up the latest LEGO gear close at hand.

Chum will be an enthusiastic part of a grand-opening team building an eight-foot R2-D2 robot on-site at the Vancouver store Friday through Sunday, and hopes to encourage other adult aficionados to get in touch with their inner child.

“When you put those two bricks together, it brings you right back to your childhood,” says a youthful Chum, who spends a lot of time erecting LEGO creations with his niece and nephew and slips ‘the brick’ into every third sentence. “Some people say the smell of a Crayola crayon can bring back childhood – the brick is the same.”

Chum shows off the LEGO wall – self-service cubbies with all the latest colours — as well as a new series called LEGO Creator – three-in-one transforming toys that kids can rebuild time and again into several different objects from a single set.

Chum said he got a big space station as a kid, but his niece and nephew really piqued his interest again as an adult.

“My three-year-old nephew showed an interest in my very small LEGO collection, and I started buying more of it,” said Chum. “It’s a hobby.

“There are a lot of worse things we could be doing with our time.”

Chum’s brick fascination grew to the point he now attends monthly meetings of the Vancouver LEGO Club – vlc.ca — planning mall displays and upcoming events such as a Surrey Museum display recreating half a dozen civilizations from ancient times.

Adults can also move into new LEGO territory such as 3D versions of Dungeons and Dragons that go by names like BrickQuest and BrickWars.

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Please note that most of the LUG activity on our site takes place in the Forums. Members and the wider AFOL public are always talking about everything to do with LEGO®, so feel free to check it out.

We are NOT to be confused with The LEGO® Group of companies. We do NOT represent them in any manner, nor do they endorse, sponsor or authorize the VLC. We are simply enthusiasts, builders, hobbyists and consumers of the many wonderful things that The LEGO® Group produces.